


Some Things Never Change

by rainbowtourmaline



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Ageism, Avatar Korra Being a Little Shit, Avatar's journey, Banter, Bickering, Dadko, Dadko/Momtara, F/M, Female Friendship, Female Friendships, First Kiss, Flirting, Humour, If you don't like lok don't worry, Injury, Internalized Misogyny, Katara Is A Writer, Kid Korra, Kissing, Momtara, Mutual Pining, Old Katara/Old Zuko (Avatar), Old Zuko (Avatar), Post-War, Romance, Sharing a Bed, Sifu Katara, Sifu Zuko, This story is 100 percent about Zuko and Katara, Unlearning Internalized Ageism, Unlearning Internalized Misogyny, What if the old gaang were Korra's sifus AU, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zutara Week 2018
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-18 06:06:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15479271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowtourmaline/pseuds/rainbowtourmaline
Summary: “WELCOME TO THE TEAM SIFU HOTMAN!” Korra screamed so loud she could have probably woke up the whole forest, as she sat on a rock in a babbling brook, happy as a clam.Katara thought taking a 12-year-old Korra on her Avatar journey would be simple because she helped end the 100 year war and has been floating any threats to world peace since, but things get very complicated when Fire Lord Zuko decides to tag along.





	1. First Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> I have waited for Zutara week to come back for an entire year AND FINALLY IT IS HERE!
> 
> I've been thinking about how cool LOK would have been if Zuko, Katara and Toph were Korra's bending teachers and um... this is kind of a small taste of what a much longer series would look like, so if you like it please let me know. 
> 
> Otherwise, happy Zutara Week 2018 folks! Let's make it a good one.

Contrary to popular opinion, Katara felt as young as she did when she went on her first world-wide trip with Aang. The Fire Nation sun may have beat down on her wrinkled brow, but she merely wiped it off and took a sip of water from her jug. The strong smell of spices may have prickled at her nose, but she comforted herself with the thought of the stewed sea prunes she would cook for dinner tonight. Some of the less friendly locals in the Fire Nation may have given her dirty looks as she freely wondered around like she owned the place, but she just smugly patted her waterbending pouch – almost itching for a good fight because she hadn’t had one of those in a long time.

It was only the small hand tugging on hers that made her feel old.

“Let’s go visit Fire Lord Zuko!” the excited little voice cried, before pointing at the Fire Nation Palace that loomed over them like a great shadow. Katara knew that praying her clever travel companion wouldn’t notice they were so close to Zuko’s home was silly, but she hoped that if they had both kept busy they could have just gone about their day without even thinking about the Fire Lord. “He said I could visit him any time I want, so let’s stop there for the night!”

Katara winced, the little girl’s enthusiasm reminding Katara of her late husband Aang.

“Not today Korra, I am sure Zuko is very busy today.” Katara ignored her pupil’s doe eyes and firmly but gently pulled her into the opposite direction of the palace. She set her eyes on the Papaya stand. Korra liked Papaya.

“Don’t you miss him?”

Katara stopped in the middle of the street, gripping her bag so she wouldn’t clutch at her chest.

Sometimes Katara feels like Aang is mocking her all the way from the grave through Korra’s voice.

She never knew her husband to be that cruel but maybe he was angry at her for what she did.

Korra let go of her teacher’s limp hand to run out in front of her, clasp her hands together and plead her case. “PLEASE can we go? He was your friend too right? I PROMISE to behave if we can go see Fire Lord Zuko for **5 minutes**. I swear!”

Katara’s heartbeat returned to a normal pace and she smiled down at her student, knowing that 5 minutes would turn into 3 hours of unbridled chaos the second she or Zuko took their eyes off her.

She ran an affectionate hand through Korra’s hair, chuckling at the way she bristled like a tarantula cat before she said: “I miss Zuko a lot, but he and Izumi need to concentrate on their work right now. We can come back when they have free time again.”

Katara would arrange for her brother to bring Korra to the Fire Nation palace when her Avatar’s journey was finished. She could pretend she had a cold or find a ‘crisis’ that needed her attention. Her sons Tenzin and Bumi were always getting into trouble and her daughter Kya always went on interesting adventures.

That reminds her, she needed to write to them.

 

* * *

 

 When Katara went through all the waterbending forms with Korra (“But I ALREADY mastered the basics!”), cooked dinner, put the rebellious young Avatar to bed, and gave her children an in-depth update on their adventures (she really enjoyed writing and her books about her adventures with the old gang were bestsellers) – she did something she shouldn’t have done right before going to sleep.

Katara couldn’t help herself though. When she removed the small stone statue from where she kept it right close to her heart, she couldn’t resist admiring the craftsmanship that lovingly went behind making this tiny memento of her other family.   

“Toph should be a carpenter.” she said fondly, pressing her thumb against the smooth texture and happily looked at the faces of all her old friends.

Katara stopped smiling when she looked into the eyes of one friend though.

“And we should talk. When Korra has completed her journey, I promise I’ll come see you.”

Katara had lost her mother, fought a war, got married, raised 3 children, helped run a hospital and rebuild her entire village – you would think that by now nothing would scare her because she had lived through all of that.

Apparently, the silky-smooth voice that whispered in her ear was determined to prove her wrong: “I’ll save you from the pirates.”

Katara’s brain didn’t have time to recognise the owner of that voice.  

 All she could remember was that she was an old woman charged with the safety of a 12-year-old girl, who despite being an extremely capable bender was still a child in a deep, dark forest where the nearest village was 10-minutes away, so when a strange man comes up behind you out of nowhere to whisper in your ear your first screaming thought will be: “WHAT WAS I THINKING?!!!”

Luckily her body didn’t stop to think though. The old girl clenched her teeth, barked “You messed with the wrong bender!”, grabbed the stranger’s arm in a vice-like grip and proceeded to throw him over her shoulder just like her son Bumi taught her to, so that the intruder would go flying through the air and bang straight into the nearest tree.

Not giving the staggering stranger a chance to recover as he wheezed “Oh Agni!” in pain, she froze him against the tree, just like she did to Jet when she was 14.

“How dare you sneak up on me like that in the middle of the night!” Katara shouted so loud that it woke up her student, who started screaming in fear.

“Katara wait – I’m sorry!” Katara’s heart skipped a beat when she finally recognised that voice and could see that scar she had become so familiar with over the years, but it was too late. In a panicked frenzy Korra cried “SIFU KATARA!” and proceeded to fire bend all the ice off Zuko’s body in one blast of glorious flames.

Katara cursed as she grabbed the nearest blanket to try and douse the flames running all over Zuko’s body, while the foolish Fire Lord rolled around on the ground and Korra screamed “I’M SO SORRY, I’M SO SORRY ZUKO!”

Katara was getting too old for this!

 

* * *

 

“Well that was the longest night of my life.” Zuko chuckled, before wincing under the gaze of Katara’s glare and quirked eyebrow as she and Korra worked on healing his thankfully minor burn wounds.

“I’m so sorry.” Korra whimpered the hundredth time, taking extra special care of the burn mark on his left arm.

Zuko removed her arm from Korra’s grip to give the young avatar a one-armed hug.

“You have nothing to be sorry about. I was the idiot thinking he could pull a prank on your teacher in the middle of the night.” he said. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I hope you can forgive me.”

Korra gave one final sob as she buried her head in the Fire Lord’s chest, looking up at him with those patented doe eyes.

“I will accept your apology if I can have your fireflakes.” She said, patting the belt bag that protruded around his waist.

Zuko gave a delighted roar of a laugh that reminded Katara of Druk.

“You can have all my fireflakes if you wish, little one.”

Katara crossed her arms and tapped her foot, refusing to be touched by Zuko’s generosity.

“You shouldn’t sell your love so easily Korra, this man will do anything to earn one’s forgiveness.” She smirked. “He’ll fight sparky sparky boom boom men, he’ll rescue your father from the most dangerous prison in the Fire Nation and he’ll go on a life-changing trip with you!~”

Zuko frowned in Katara’s general direction. She stuck her tongue out at him until Korra gasped.

“I changed my mind! I don’t want your fire flakes! I want you to be my Firebending teacher!”

Zuko grinned like a Cheshire Siamese snake cat at Katara, whose jaw dropped to the floor. To think she would be betrayed by her own student!

“Now Korra, the point of the Avatar’s journey is to look for your teacher, not ask people you already know!” she said through gritted teeth.

“I’ve known you all my life and you’re the best waterbending teacher I could have. You’re the only one who’s stronger than me!” Korra said with such affection that it made Katara’s heart melt. “I think Fire Lord Zuko would be a great match for me, he’s the only one who didn’t run away when I brought Onyx to that party. _That_ was dumb.”

Onxy was the kimodo rhino that Korra at the tender age of six had decided to adopt when she was visiting the Fire Nation for the first time and had thought he would be her best mode of transportation to Izumi’s birthday party.

It took all of Katara and Zuko’s diplomatic cloat to manage that PR disaster. It was a miracle no one got hurt.

“I would be honoured to be your teacher Korra. It’s why I left the palace as soon as one of my guards told me you were here.” Zuko said.

“You were SPYING on us?” Katara knew she had been avoiding Zuko, but that was too creepy!

“Of course not.” Zuko rolled his eyes at her. “Your picture is on the blurb of your best-selling books Katara. You’re adored by so many people in the Fire Nation for ending the 100-year war and telling one of the best stories I’ve read in ages. People wouldn’t forget your face.”

Katara tried to fight the blush that was creeping down her neck but failed miserably.

“Well you can tell your guards they won’t be getting my autograph at my next book signing!” she huffed. “You should teach them to mind their own business!”

Korra stood on her tippy toes on the log Zuko was sitting on and whispered in his ear: “I’ll give you some copies of her signed scrolls if you give me your fire flakes!”

Katara took a long breath through her nostrils and chided in a booming voice: “Korra!”

“Sorry Sifu Katara! I’ll go practice my form!” Korra bowed to her teacher with a sheepish expression on her face, before turning back to Zuko to yell: “I’m looking forward to my first Fire Bending lesson Sifu Fire Lord Zuko!”

Zuko waved back to her, grinning ear to ear, while Katara shook her head at her shameful little student!

“She had never disrespected my authority until you came along!” Katara joked, but she was a little annoyed at Zuko for just waltzing in and deciding he would become Korra’s firebending teacher. She was one of the few adults who had earned this over-powered child’s respect at a young age and now Zuko was starting a mutiny against her.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t encourage her rebellious teenage phase just yet. She’s quite a little spitfire and the toughest opponent we’ve faced to date, but if we put up a united front I’m sure we can take her.” Zuko joked, nudging Katara’s shoulder. Katara knew she was acting like a teenager by pouting in the opposite direction of Zuko and keeping her arms crossed, but she didn’t care and she knew Zuko wouldn’t take offence at her childishness. Zuko leaned in close to her and whispered: “You’re smiling.~”

“I am and I hate it!” they both giggled like silly little school children who were in on a limerick they were too young to have heard. “We both still have the same terrible sense of humour!”

“You mean wicked sense of humour!”

“If you call sneaking up on an old woman and a young child in the middle of the night funny, then sure…”

That comment knocked out all the mirth and joy from Zuko’s face, as he took a step back from Katara. Katara blinked in shock. She hadn’t mean it like that!

“You’re right. I’m really sorry. That joke was in poor taste. I should have known better, given that I’ve been avoiding you because I wanted to give you your own space. I thought if I made that stupid little prank I could’ve made you laugh and we would go right back to how things used to be. That was a stupid idea.”

Katara’s heart stopped when Zuko went to get his bag.

“Don’t worry about Korra. If you still trust me with her, I can take her out for the day and then explain that I need to go back to the palace. I can make up an excuse and say my daughter needs me for an emergency. I’m sure Korra will understand and if she wants, she can stay at the palace whenever she likes.”

Katara didn’t answer for a whole 5 seconds as a war went on within her subconscious. “I’m sure you’re very busy with Fire Lord duties anyway.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I should have told you before now. I’ve given all my royal responsibilities to Izumi.” Zuko said. “I think she’s ready to rule the country by herself. And I wanted to be able to fully dedicate myself to protecting Aang’s legacy by supporting you and Korra.”

Katara’s arms dropped to her sides as she remembered a shameful secret she kept when she was 14 when Zuko uttered those words.

Katara was scared of Zuko when she first met him, which was completely reasonable because he had chased down her family for weeks on end, threatened to kidnap Aang and take him to a place where Katara may not have ever been able to get him back.  

What wasn’t reasonable was how deep down in that dark abyss of her mind she had _liked_ it when he said he could return something she had lost that night he tied her to a tree and was the only person protecting her from a horde of equally villainous pirates. It didn’t make what Zuko did any less abhorrent, but she spent many nights wondering what was wrong with her for being so attracted to someone who in that moment had a lot of power over her.

Even long after she and Zuko became friends, she still felt disgusted with herself until the ripe old age of 30, until she confided in Toph:

“Meh! Women are raised to like strong, powerful men that can protect them from danger – even if they’re jerks! It’s not your fault that you got a case of the _oogies_ for Zuko. You shouldn’t feel bad for it because you didn’t let your feelings get in the way of doing the right thing and teaching that little punk what happens when you tie Water Tribe girls to a tree at the North Pole!”

Katara snorted at the mental image of her slam dunking Zuko’s body into the ground after their first confrontation at the North Pole, she had forgot she told Toph about that!

“Thanks Toph.” She said, wiping a tear from her eye.

“You’re welcome.” Toph said. “Also, you should tell Aang that you’re into that kind of stuff.”

Katara playfully smacked her friend on the arm.

“Do you want me to get in trouble!”

“He doesn’t have to know you learned that you liked that sort of thing from Zuko.” Toph waggled her eyebrows. “There are books about that.”

Katara screamed and tackle-hugged her friend to the ground.

Her husband Aang side-eyed them from the kitchen where he was cooking a vegetarian barbeque, but didn’t come to investigate what was going on, he learned to let Toph and Katara be during their quality time.   

That memory made a warm feeling spread through her heart, a similar warmth she was feeling right now when Zuko looked at her with such reverence and respect.

Back then Prince Zuko was an annoyingly handsome no-good trouble maker who looked at her like a good opportunity – something he could use to achieve his end goal and then discard when he got what he wanted. Much like a certain freedom fighter she knew back then too…

Right now, Lord Zuko looked at her like he would gladly follow her into hell, if she would grant him the honour.

“But if you don’t want me to come, that’s fine. I’ve always wanted to travel the world.” Zuko said wistfully. “Never had the time to truly appreciate how beautiful it all was when I was banished or on the throne.”

Just as Zuko was about to leave like the sad sap he was, Katara clamped her hand down hard on his shoulder (the one without the fresh burn mark – she wasn’t that mean), looked him right in the eye and gave him the ugliest grimace she could manage:

“If you scare me like that again I’m sending you home to Izumi and telling her what you did!” she hissed. “Do I make myself clear?”

Zuko crossed his heart.

“Crystal.”

Katara backed away from him and relaxed. “Just don’t back out if it all becomes too much for you. Korra gets attached pretty fast.”

“I won’t let you or Korra down Katara. Thank you.” Zuko said. “I’ve really missed you.”

Katara blushed and looked away. The only thing worse than Korra’s doe eyes was Zuko’s puppy-seal dog eyes.

She wasn’t obtuse as people liked to think she was. She knew the other reason Zuko wanted to tag along on Korra’s Avatar Journey was to talk about what happened at Aang’s funeral and repair the damage it had done to their friendship.

Katara knew it was the right and healthy thing to do and she would feel so much better after acknowledging her mistake – but she wasn’t ready yet.

“I’ve missed you too, you idiot.”

As they stood there in silence looking at each other as the sun rose for a new dawn, one could mistake Zuko and Katara as characters in a scroll painting depicting reunited lovers shyly getting to know one another again.

Until one person had to ruin it.   

“WELCOME TO THE TEAM SIFU HOTMAN!” Korra screamed so loud she could have probably woke up the whole forest, as she sat on a rock in a babbling brook, happy as a clam.

“Have you been there watching all this time?!” Katara was horrified.

“Yes. Uncle Bumi taught me how to sneak around without getting caught!” Oh he did, did he? Well Katara was certainly going to mention that interesting little bit of information in her next letter to her oldest son.

Zuko shared a knowing look with Katara and said: “I think the first thing I should do as her teacher is discuss the benefits of self-restraint.”

“I will build a statue in your honour if you can actually accomplish that.”

They laugh and Zuko doesn’t talk about their time apart or what led to them taking a break from their friendship, and for that Katara is grateful.  


	2. Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well, well… I knew your girlfriend would come back to you. Also, cute grandkid.” 
> 
> Katara, Zuko and Korra stop by at an Inn for some rest and relaxation. 
> 
> However, their stay stops being restful when Zuko makes a discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank everyone who left a comment and kudos on this fanfic, and liked/reblogged the post I made for the first chapter on Tumblr. They mean a lot to me, so you guys rock!

“Well, well…” A woman with long, white hair tied up into a topknot with a skull pendent and black lipstick twirled their keys around her finger in amusement. Despite her old age, she looked like she could entrap young men whose hearts yearned for a bit of rest and comfort, with just a flash of her teeth and a few sweet words from her smooth and sultry voice. “I knew your girlfriend would come back to you. Also, cute grandkid.”

Zuko nearly dropped his coin purse and Katara started coughing, slapping her chest in a desperate attempt to regain her composure.

“He is not my boyfriend and she is not our grandchild!” Katara gasped.

The very old woman quirked a thin and grey eyebrow and her eyes zoomed in on Korra.

“That true kid?”

Korra beamed up at her.

“Dad said I was adopted so it could be true!”

“KORRA YOU ARE OFFICIALLY GROUNDED FOR LYING TO A STRANGER LIKE THAT!” Katara screamed so loud, the other guests in the inn started gawking at them. Katara coughed again and glared at the inn-keeper. “June, I’d appreciate it if you could let Zuko pay for my room, I’ll pay him back after I have had a chance to lie down.”

“Sorry honey. Inn’s full.” June waggled her eyebrows as if she knew what was to come. “You’re going to have to share.”

Katara growled. She had not got a wink of sleep last night thanks to Zuko’s surprise visit. And tending to first degree burns wasn’t easy! She didn’t need this!

She covered Korra’s ears and said: “If you think Zuko and I are going to live out your sick fantasies in front of a small child, you could not be more wrong!”

“She can share my bed if she wants.” June said as if Katara were a client coming to her with a problem as simple as needing a change of towels. “My grandkids aren’t due to visit me for another week and I miss the company. Plus…”

June leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “I heard your husband died years ago and with how cranky you are, I think a night with an old flame might just help you get your groove back.”

Katara let go of Korra’s head to raise her fist at June, which Zuko quickly caught.

“Katara, let’s not start a fight here…” he said, leaning in so close to her that Katara could feel his breath on her neck. “This is the only inn for miles and I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to go back out camping with these burns.”

Katara paused, the healer in her knowing that it would be better for Zuko’s recovery if he could rest in a soft warm bed. And she’d be lying if she said her bones weren’t still aching from last night. She’d never get a good night’s sleep in her sleeping bag.  

She growled and extended an open palm to June.

“We’ll take the room.” she said. “And Korra will sleep in the same bed with us. Right smack dab in the middle.”

“Aww, how sweet.” June smirked as she deposited the keys in Katara’s hand. “Quality family time.”

 

* * *

 

Katara envied how easy it was for Korra to just plop down on the mattress and snore like her bending teachers weren’t standing there and envying her youth.

“You know my grandson Iroh?” Zuko said. “He once slept like this in his office chair, while canons from an enemy ship were blasting at us!”

“No!” Katara gasped.

“It’s true. I hadn’t seen anyone sleep that deeply since my Uncle.” Zuko chuckled. “I’m glad we gave him an appropriate name.”

“It’s not fair is it?” Katara sighed. “Youth is wasted on the young.”

“We did have a lot of fun though.” Zuko smiled.

“Yes but I didn’t need to sleep back then, and I really need some sleep right now.” Katara groaned into Zuko’s shoulder. She thanked the spirits her face was buried in it, so he wouldn’t notice the blush appearing on her face when he laughed with his entire body or feel how her heart stopped at the breath-taking sight of the mirthful ex Fire Lord.  

“Then we should try to get some rest.” He said. “You change into those pyjamas June brought for us and I will go and wash up before bed.”

“Okay.” Katara said, wanting to protest when he left but she kept her mouth shut. Curse June for not giving them their own rooms because then Katara could scream into her pillow without waking Korra up!

The old waterbender sighed, changed into her white and silkie nighty and a nice and loose robe, and snuck under the covers with her sleeping friend.

“I hope your romantic life doesn’t become as complicated as this Korra.” She whispered as she gave Korra a good night kiss on her forehead. She wasn’t awake to receive it, but nonetheless the young girl cuddled up to her waterbending teacher and grinned in her sleep. Katara fondly brushed the little Avatar’s hair out of her face, remembering how her children used to cosy up to her like this.

She wished Kya were with her now, so she could talk to her daughter about her feelings. She regretted not taking the opportunity to just spill out all these secret feelings she had locked away in her brain when her daughter came out to her as a lesbian. She felt so much closer to Kya when her child shared that part of her identity with her on one of their trips across the Earth Kingdom, Katara wished she had shown that kind of courage.

She wouldn’t have even had to say anything to Kya. She could have just shown her the letters she kept from Zuko for all these years.

Katara, remembering her most valuable possessions, removed them from her travel robes and took them out to put them close to her heart again while she slept. Zuko had picked up the little statue Toph made of the old gang and gently enclosed it into her palm as they left to find the inn, the marbles her children made her hadn’t cracked and thanks to sheer dumb luck she hadn’t been looking at all the messages Zuko sent her during the time they were apart when he surprised her.  

She removed the letters from their little protective pouch and flattened them onto her lap, so she could quickly scan through them again before Zuko came back into the room. She reverently pressed her finger tips to the heart-felt words on protected waxed paper, the owner of them not wanting the messages to be distorted and for that she was extremely grateful. It was the only way she had been able to keep a piece of Zuko with her all these twelve long years.

Katara didn’t need Zuko to tell her he missed her. With the sincere apologies and pleas to forget about what happened so they could move on as friends, the way he would describe topics he knew she would enjoy in detail and share precious and private family moments with her in every scribble – Katara knew Zuko’s feelings weren’t going to die out anytime soon.

Which was why Katara felt like she just couldn’t do anything right in this terrible situation.

If she did what she felt was right by her late husband she would feel miserable for the rest of her life and would continue to hurt Zuko for the rest of his, but if she followed her heart she knew she would be the woman who betrayed Aang.

“Katara, bathroom’s free now if…” Katara wanted to faint when Zuko suddenly entered the room drying his brow with a towel, unfortunately not because he looked good in his night robes. “Are those my letters?”

“I…” Katara said nothing, just quickly tried to put all the letters back into the pouch as quickly as she could without damaging them but Zuko got to her first, grabbed her wrist and pulled one of the older ones from her grasp.

“This one is from when Korra was just a baby.” Katara swallowed her saliva and felt like her head was on fire. That letter was the one that confirmed that her feelings for Zuko were not platonic and didn’t happen because she was grieving for her husband. “When I sent her a baby mobile.”

Zuko forgot to mention that he had carved all the symbols of the four nations to put on that mobile himself because he said he wanted Korra to fall in love with and appreciate what every nation had to offer, unlike him who had been raised to think that the Fire Nation was superior.

Katara had been half-tempted to burn that letter because she didn’t want to feel like a love-sick teenager again.

“Katara… have you kept my letters for all these years?”

Hog monkeys! She had been caught!

“A walk! I need a walk!” she knew that this would have been a good time to tell him everything and share her fears, but she just wasn’t ready yet. “I simply can’t fall asleep without a walk.”

She had her hand on the knob, was ready to slam the door of their room open and run into the night with no idea where she would go – until Zuko grabbed her by wrist and put her hand into his palms.

“I’ll let you go for your evening stroll because I know you probably need to clear your head, but please listen to what I’m about to say next.” Katara’s breath hitched when he started gently stroking her hand to calm her down. “You don’t need to tell me why you kept those letters because I think I know why. You don’t want to betray Aang’s memory, but still stay up awake at night thinking about how things could be…”

Zuko then pressed Katara’s hand on his chest, right over where the burn mark he got from protecting her from Azula would be showing if he was shirtless.

Katara wondered what it looked like now.

“You don’t have to say anything to me right now Katara. I’m a widow too, I understand how you feel. But we don’t have a lot of time left, so if you’ve been pining like I have I would appreciate it if you told me you want to spend the rest of our sleepless nights together.”

“Oh…” Katara felt like her heart was beating a hundred miles an hour.

“You don’t have to give me an answer now but when you’ve made up your mind, I will be right here. Please have a long hard think about it and give me an answer before my heart breaks.”

Katara’s head cursed Zuko for the finishing blow that would follow his confession, while her heart felt like it had exploded in her chest.

Zuko removed her hand from his chest, bowed his head and kissed her hand as if he were worshipping a moon spirit. If Katara had any sense she would have snatched her arm back and ran away, but the way his lips on her hand felt was too electrifying, made her feel so good all she could do was stand there and think about how she didn’t want that kiss to end.  

When he finally let go of her hand, which felt like a lifetime to Katara, she just stared at him like an ostrich-deer in headlights. Zuko didn’t move, giving her time to process what he just told her.

“I…” Katara coughed, cradling the hand he had kissed. “I’m going to go for that walk then.”

If Katara had looked back to the room when she ran down the hallway as fast as her legs could carry her, she would have saw Zuko standing at the door frame, longingly staring after her.     

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- In case y'all wondering... Yes June does read fanfiction. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 
> 
> \- I will never get used to spelling Jun's name as June, but apparently that's the official spelling now? 
> 
> -Are you enjoying June's interactions with Gaang 2.0? 
> 
> \- What did you think of the romantic revelation? Did you enjoy Zuko's confession? Did you find it sweet or too cheesy? I appreciate any feedback you have to give because I want to get better at writing romantic scene. 
> 
> -Te-al-latte's fanart was my inspiration for the romantic scene in this fanfic, so if you have a tumblr, go do your eyes a favour and then show them some love by reblogging this gorgeous fanart:   
> https://rainbowtourmaline.tumblr.com/post/176409100996/te-al-latte-something-quick-for-the-otp-tender


	3. Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well.” Jun grinned, glad that her evening was getting interesting. “Changed your mind about little Korra bunking with Auntie June?” 
> 
> June’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head when the other old woman dived into the extra fancy sofa she bought to add a little class to her establishment, then screamed bloody murder into one of the pillows. 
> 
> “Rough night hun?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Just so you know before you read the fanfic:**
> 
> \- There is mention of alcohol consumption used as a coping mechanism for mental illness (which is not at all advised by me or our story's protagonist Katara, if you are feeling unwell or lonely please seek professional help, talk to a loved one or call a helpline)  
> -Katara jokes about getting an Oedipus complex because she gets a little crush on a motherly June  
> -There is innuendo  
> -There are discussions about grief and mourning 
> 
> If you would like me to tell you when these thing specifically appear in the fanfic so you can avoid them, please comment below or send me a message to my tumblr at the same username.

Once June’s head hit the pillow it was lights out, but she didn’t feel like going back to an empty bed just yet. Once all the guests had been fed and watered and gone to rest for the evening, she took out her special blend of green-jasmine tea and her secret stash of champagne she kept for lonely nights like this. As she boiled her teapot, she wondered if she should go to the stables and spend the night with her pet Shirshu and oldest friend Nayla – until she spotted a vision in white rush down the barren hallways with her hair upbraided and fluttering in the breeze.

“Well.” June grinned, glad that her evening was getting interesting. “Changed your mind about little Korra bunking with Auntie June?”

June’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head when the other old woman dived into the extra fancy sofa she bought to add a little class to her establishment, then screamed bloody murder into one of the pillows. 

If June had been anyone else, they would have wondered: “Why is this woman not acting her age?” or “Oh goodness what should I do?”

Instead, June put another teacup on the table from her fancy set her late husband brought her and pulled out a chair for Katara to sit on.

“Rough night hun?”

 

* * *

 

 

“Umm… I’m not sure that’s how you should drink tea.” Katara eyed June warily as she filled half her tea cup with her extra special champagne.

“Really? Because it’s done wonders for my chronic loneliness over the years.” June said. “And you look like you could use something bubbly.”

Although every bone in Katara’s screamed “this isn’t a good idea”, another part of brain said maybe alcohol would calm her nerves. The healer in her knew that deep down it wouldn’t, and that alcohol often made her patients’ anxiety or mental health problems worse, but she decided that if tonight was going to be a string of bad choices, she’d at least enjoy this fruity smelling drink June offered her.

She dove in head first and took a long sip of her green-jasmine tea with bubbles.

It was so good that she thought June and Iroh would have been a match made in heaven, if only Uncle Iroh had been a bit subtler with his flirting, bless his soul.

“This is _divine_.”

“See?” June said, raising her cup in a toast. “Keeping your mind open and trying new things leads to good experiences.”

Katara frowned.

“Or friendships being destroyed, but who cares about that eh?” the old Watertribe woman took a long judgemental sip.

Jun just smirked at Katara as she put down her tea cup, clasped her fingers together and leaned her old chin on them as she leered at the other woman.   

“Aww, who spit in your bean curd doll?” she asked. “Did things not go to plan between you and Grumpy?”

Katara snorted: “He’s hardly grumpy anymore.”

“To me he’ll always be Grumpy.” June smiled. “How about you hun? Has your opinion changed about him over the years? I know you two got to a rocky start.”

“Please.” Katara begged. “Half the reason I am here is to get away from my brother’s terrible puns.”

“Don’t try to distract me sweetheart, I’m _whip smart_.”

“I hate you.” If Korra said something like that to a host who had offered her tea and genuinely wanted to listen to her troubles, Katara would have given her a lecture and made her clean the tea set after as a form of repentance, but she was feeling too tipsy and emotional to be mature.

“No you don’t. We wouldn’t be having a tea party if you did.” Jun said. “Come on hun, don’t you wanna tell me what’s wrong?”

Why did Katara feel like she was being cajoled by her mother and not talking to a retired bounty hunting vixen who was still famous for her mystique and allure? What kind of parallel universe did she fall into where June would –

Oh that’s right June is a mother and a grandmother now –

Bleeding hog monkeys Katara had just fully realised that June was a mum. She was being mum’d by another mum.

Was she getting an Oedipus complex?

June did look pretty in the moonlight and Katara didn’t have any ‘history’ with her…

Focus Katara!

“No, thank you.” Katara said as politely as she could. “I know you’re trying to help but I think it’s better if I talk to Toph or Suki when I see them. They will… understand what I’m going through.”

That was a lie, she just knew Toph and Suki wouldn’t judge her. She had never really gotten the guts to tell them what happened after Aang’s funeral and that her crush on Zuko was something more, but she knew she could turn to them in times of crisis. While June seemed like a nice woman, she was famous for her wit, cunning, scheming and her lifelong love affair with money. June would sell her secrets to the highest bidder if given the chance.

“Are Toph and Suki halfway across the world right now?” June asked, taking another sip of her drink.  

Katara squeezed the handle on her teacup.

“Yes.”  

“And is Grumpy upstairs waiting for you to come back?”

Katara wanted to distract June from the conversation by asking if she could open a window, but she knew June would know her skin wasn’t glowing because of the humidity.

“Yes.” Katara reluctantly admitted.

Jun slammed her empty cup down, her cheeks glowing pink and her eyes closed in concentration.

“Then you don’t have time to find them. If Grumpy is waiting for you upstairs, talk to Toph. Pretend I am Toph.”

Katara gawked at June like she was a 400-foot tall purple platypus-bear with pink horns and silver wings.

“I don’t think I should-”

June interrupted her by slamming her fist on the table:  

“I am Toph! And I know you have a man! Willing and waiting! Upstairs! Talk! To! Me!”

“All right, all right!” Katara gave in, not wanting June to wake up the entire inn. The waterbender suspected that the ex-bounty hunter would be too drunk to remember what she said in the morning anyway. “I’ll tell you everything.”

“Good girl.” June poured Katara more tea, put a heaping helping of champagne into her cup and plopped some raspberries into it without a care if she spilled any of the beverage on Katara’s clean white robes. “Spill it.”

Katara would have giggled at the way June was slurring her words, but she was too overwhelmed. She sighed and stared into her teacup, trying to compose herself.

“Aang’s passing was one of the worst days of my life. We have had our ups and downs, but when it felt like things were finally looking up he… vanished from my life again, but this time forever. I was so sad and angry.”

“I feel you girl, I’ve buried a husband too.” June said, patting Katara’s hand.

“I felt so overwhelmed. I was not only grieving for my husband but taking care of his funeral arrangements and the family he had left behind. Bumi was crying his eyes out every other minute, Kya looked to Lin and myself for comfort, and bless Tenzin for trying to keep it together but I could tell he was hurting.”

June saw a drop of water splash into Katara’s cup. She pretended not to notice.

“My brother Sokka was so shocked by the news he spent a lot of time before the funeral at the place where we first found Aang, probably trying to make sense of the fact he was no longer going to be around. I had to take care of all of them and be strong for them when all I wanted to do was sit down and cry.”

This time June didn’t make a smartass comment or express empathy with words, she just squeezed the other woman’s hand.

“That’s why I felt so relieved when Zuko came to the South Pole. When he came to find me and hug me, it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders.”

“So he was your hero?” June flirtatiously quirked an eyebrow to try and lighten the mood, but Katara corrected her:

“He was my _partner_. He knew what I was going through: he helped me with all the funeral arrangements, got my kids to face their demons and helped me find my brother and drag him back to the village to face reality.”

Katara stopped to think for a minute. “Maybe I should say ‘fly’ him back to our village, since Druk did most of the hard work.”

Katara smiled when June started giggling, she was glad she enjoyed the joke.

“The day of the funeral was so long, but things looked like they would start to get better with all our family and old friends around us. We celebrated Aang’s life with a lot of fun, laughter… and love by retelling all the stories and memories we had left of him to cherish.”

June was tempted to ask: “Isn’t that what your husband would have wanted?” at the ‘love’ part but she kept her mouth shut.

“After a week many of our friends and family had decided to return to their lives, but Zuko stayed with me and Sokka for a month. It was one of the happiest and most miserable points in my life because 2 of the people I cared about most were with me and we were having as much fun as possible given the circumstances, but it felt so wrong because one person from our gang wasn’t there and would never come back.”

A far-off, distant look appeared in Katara’s eyes.

“But then Zuko and I went for a walk one day. It was our first time alone together since he arrived and pulled me into his arms It was twilight, so the sky was full of yellow, red, blue and purple clouds. There were moon flowers all around us blooming, about to rise for the night. It would have been romantic if I hadn’t accused him of not loving Aang.”

June’s jaw dropped, but Katara continued.

“I said that if he loved Aang as much as I did, he would have stayed here with me in the South Pole to wallow in his misery. He would be as angry as I was with Aang for leaving. I was so happy he was there to support me, but I hated how he was able to put on a brave face. And it was a brave face because he turned around and told me, with that sad grin on his face, that he did hate Aang for leaving because he so badly wanted him to stay so they could continue to protect the world together.”

Katara took another swig of her tea.

“But he said he wanted to make sure Aang’s legacy didn’t die with him. That that was why he had to go back to the Fire Nation and couldn’t stay with me and Sokka, even though he really wanted to. That was when he took me into his arms and held me tightly again.”

That was when June got a big goofy grin on her face, she was getting to the part she had been waiting to hear since Zuko and Katara entered her inn!  

“He then said – this isn’t the end of your life Katara, even though it may feel like it. This is just another beginning and that my next journey’s destination was my choice, for my destiny was in my own hands. He put one of the moon flowers I hadn’t seen him pick into my hand and didn’t let go of me. The butterflies in my stomach were going crazy by this point.”

“Yeah they were.” June chuckled, but Katara just ignored her and put a hand on her heart because she was getting dizzy just thinking about it.

“Then he looked deeply into my eyes and told me: no matter what you decide to do, Aang will always be with you, and so will I.”

June leaned across the table in anticipation.

“And then I kissed him.”

June’s scream was so loud and high pitched, Katara was sure she was going to wake up the whole inn, but at this point she was too tipsy and buried in her own memories to care.

“I knew there was something going on between you two the day he gave me your necklace to sniff out and find you. I knew it, my girlfriend told me I was just imagining things but I! Was! Right!” June chuckled as she started slamming the table with her first again. “Well don’t stop there, give me the dirt! I want every filthy detail!”

Katara was too deep in her thoughts to protest.

“When I was about to pull away, he pulled me back in.”

“Oh, yeah.” June bit her lip.

“His eyes were lidded. He cupped the back of my head, held me by the waist and pressed his tongue against my lips so he could give me seven minutes in heaven. I let him.”

“Mmm… sounds like my first kiss with my girlfriend.” June sighed dreamily.

“I probably would have spent the whole night with him… If my son Tenzin hadn’t walked in on us.”

“Oh Katara it’s getting far too hot in this kitchen – what?” June stopped in her tracks when Katara brought up that mood killing little detail.

“I wish he had said something. Anything. But instead of getting angry at me and accusing me of betraying his father, Tenzin dropped the bouquet of flowers he had been picking in the snow and left the Southern Water Tribe without a word. We hadn’t spoken for weeks after that.”    

“Weeks?” June guffawed in disgust.

“Who could blame him? Aang and I had been married for years and not even when his body was cold, I leapt into the arms of another man.” Katara said, sadly staring out at the night sky. If she were in better humour, she would have enjoyed the view of the twinkling stars.

Jun glared at the other woman and hissed: “You should tell your son that when his wife dies, to see how he copes with the grief!”

Katara nearly dropped her teacup: “June?”

“Love is hard to find Katara. I’d know, I wasted a lot of time with my first asshole of a husband. If it weren’t for him, I would have never left my home town and become a bounty hunter. I would never have met Sanji at 39, had 2 kids I love to the moon and back with him, and would have never opened this dump! I’d have wallowed away in that puritan hellhole instead of meeting interesting people all over the world with Sanji!”

Katara had seen three emotions on June’s face: boredom, slight amusement and lust. But the way June’s face contorted with passion and determination as she spoke was very alien to Katara.

“And when he died I could have waltzed back to my home town to see if anyone would take a lonely old woman back – and I thought about it too! I hated myself for it but I did! But if I hadn’t wandered around the forest border, I would have never met Jin, and she makes me as happy as Sanji did when that old fool was alive.”

“June…” Katara put a soothing hand on June’s, this seemed to help to stop the other woman from shaking.

“My point is Katara – people will say things about you your whole life. But life is short and it can be taken away at any time. People said a lot of bad things about me, but do I regret anything I have done? Hell no! If people respect you less because you decide to hook up with Grumpy and don’t want to play the Avatar’s little wifey anymore, then they don’t deserve everything you have done for them! These jerks aren’t worth your time.”

Jun sat back down and took a giant swig of the champagne bottle, emptying its entire contents down her throat.

The colour in Katara’s cheeks started to come back and she smiled sweetly at the other woman, as what she had said finally sunk into Katara’s skull. “Thank you, June. That’s exactly what Toph would have said.”

In a rush of affection for June, Katara wished she had a friend like her when she was young, someone who didn’t give a hoot about society’s rules.

“You’re welcome, and Toph sounds amazing.” June slurred.

Before Katara had a chance to offer June some chamomile tea and put the drunken woman to bed, there was a knock at the door.

“We’re closed!” June shouted.

“Come on June you old drunkard, let me in! Your wife, your kids, her kids and their kids are out here soaking to the bone so if you don’t let them and this old bag in I will turn your inn upside down! I’ve done it before so you know I’ll honour my threat!”

Katara recognised that voice.

“Toph?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I thought long and hard about whether I wanted to use an OC or a canon character for June's female significant other, but I wanted to bring Jin back because the jokes that would come of her return would be too hilarious to pass up for the next chapter (RIP Zuko) and I genuinely like this character. Plus I don't mind pairing Jin/June in the context where they both met each other as very old women who have lost their spouses and are trying to cope with their loss by forming a new friendship, that eventually turns into new found love (in the original canon though? Noooooo thank you). 
> 
> \- I thought about pairing Ursa and June instead because they're a couple I actually ship and can see happening, but it wouldn't make sense for Zuko and Katara to not know those two were a couple. It's something I may bring up in my other zutara fics though... 
> 
> \- June is bisexual and so is Katara. 
> 
> \- Green-jasmine tea with bubbles is actually a drink you can make: 
> 
> https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8411424/Green-jasmine-tea-bubbles-recipe.html
> 
> \- What did you think of the lead up to Katara's confession and the kiss scene? Did I use too much dialogue or just the right amount? Did I adequately convey the passion in Zuko and Katara's kiss? I'd love to hear your thoughts. 
> 
> -I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave you with the cliffhanger for a week or two because I'm going on a trip on Thursday and need tomorrow to prepare for it. Thanks again for all the likes and reblogs on tumbr, the kudos and for leaving feedback! It truly makes my day.

**Author's Note:**

> -"You didn't use the theme in this chapter" - oh sweet summer child, why do you think Katara has been avoiding Zuko all these years? Smoochy smoochy, someone's in love. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> -Dadko/Momtara and banter are 2 of my favourite tropes for this pairing. 
> 
> \- I've noticed that there's a trend in fandom to mock or shame women who have a crush on bad guys even though our society teaches women to forgive men regardless of their flaws or shortcomings, and if you couldn't tell by Toph and Katara's exchange, I am absolutely not here for that. There's a difference between teaching other girls and women to recognise bad behaviour and shaming them for their desires - which I hope was something I made clear in this chapter. 
> 
> \- More female friendships to come in the next chapter with our special guest, June!


End file.
